Chelsea player Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the Football Association for breaking anti-doping rules and might face a long ban from football.
The Ukrainian winger could be suspended for up to four years under FA rules after his drug test came back positive last year. The test is thought to have found meldonium, which is banned in sport.
Mudryk was temporarily suspended whilst he and Chelsea waited for a second test to be checked. The FA has now confirmed they have charged him with rule violations.
An FA spokesman told Telegraph Sport:
We can confirm that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged with breaking anti-doping rules for having and/or using a banned substance. As this case is still ongoing, we cannot say anything more right now.
Mudryk has hired Morgan Sports Law to handle his case, with Chelsea also helping him out.
The same law firm also worked for former Juventus player Paul Pogba when he appealed his four-year drugs ban. The Court of Arbitration for Sport later cut this down to 18 months.
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Pogba left Juventus and is now looking for a new team after his 18-month ban finished in March.
Mudryk says he did not knowingly break any rules. It was reported that the Ukraine international had a negative test in August last year and claims he had not changed anything he was doing since then.
Mudryk GH₵1.25 billion move to Chelsea
He has not played for Chelsea since November 28, 2024, and has not been named in a matchday squad since December 1, 2024. He is also not allowed to train with Chelsea.
Chelsea bought Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 for a deal worth up to £89m (around GH₵1.25 billion at the time) and his contract runs until June 2031.
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Mudryk has scored 10 goals in 73 matches for Chelsea across all competitions.